This is my second excursion into areas of gaming I'm fairly clueless about. For this one I really wanted to get lost, to really get out of my depth; where better to do that than sport? I'm not a sporty person in fact I don't even fully know the rules of any sport. I was the teenager who always brought a note to P.E explaining I couldn't take part, I had to go do extra computer work and had a noted signed by my IT teacher to prove it. It was only sometimes forged, promise. Laziness and health issues weren't the reasons for my distaste. My issue was competitive play, I'm just not bothered about winning or losing. Everyone else it seems was, especially when it came to the mainstream Football (soccer). In the UK, and many counties around the world, being a young lad not wanting to play football was considered weird, I quickly got tired of being labelled as such and came to resent the sport. Shortly after I ceased to care about sport at all.

Raised in a culture obsessed with Football I couldn't help but accumulate some knowledge along the way, even now I know more about football than any other sport. In my younger years I even played the odd round of Fifa with friends, mostly because that's all they'd play. When I thought about playing a sports game my mind immediately jumped to Fifa '15. It's been years since I played; I would undoubtedly suck and know startlingly little - I still don't understand the offside rule. But for this to be an adventure I felt I really needed to get lost in the weeds, I wanted to know nothing of where I'm going. That's why I decided not to take up Fifa, but rather Madden - it's American Football (just football to my American pals) counterpart. Americans reading this will probably find my ignorance hilarious, my fellow Europeans will be as lost me; regardless this should be a good laugh for everyone involved.

Madden '15 provided me its first challenge before I'd even started playing, trying to get my hands on a copy in the UK. No one really acknowledges American Football's existence so Madden is a rarity. Every shop near my home in Newcastle elected to either not stock it or keep one "just in case an odd ball comes in" copy for a pretty hefty price. Eventually I coughed up the money finding one for the reasonable cost of RRP. I bought it from a shop assistant who looked at me with eyes that said "really!?" If I do inspire you to take up this challenge be mindful Madden '15 is on sale on the PlayStation store for just £25 right now. Copy in hand I booted it up, ready to play my first sports game in over ten years. At least it wasn't flipping Fifa.

A loading screen popped up with some friendly advice as I waited patiently, "press 'x' to grab in scrimmage range" it read. Scrimmage? What the hell did that even mean? To me, someone who knows literally not even the first thing about American football I was daunted. I'd been immediately confronted by a word that looked make believe, it read like a toddler trying to say rib cage. Evidently this was going to be a longer road than I had thought. Madden then sought to pump me up. It played a motivational video, players clad in their armour making impossible catches, charging through rivals and just generally being bad ass. All of this narrated by giants of the game, legendary players. At least that's what I assume really I didn't know. I just felt confused, that probably wasn't their intention. May bad.

The next load screen came to an end; I was standing in a stadium ready to take part in my first ever match: Seahawks vs Patriots. I was thankful I knew the two teams involved, even if admittedly that's because they were mentioned around gifs of dancing sharks. Oh, and movie star bets between Captain America and Star Lord. This must be the first tutorial I thought. I was wrong, Madden '15 assumed I knew the gig already, presuming I'd played one of the 1,000 earlier iterations. Okay, that's probably a fair assumption. Picture this, if you will. Crowds cheering in admiration, the final minutes of the game, all or nothing. They approach me, "Dan, it's up to you" they say "only you can win the match and bring the trophy home to us, which ever side we are. You've not really looked have you?". I confess I hadn't properly paid attention. Mostly because I was too busy panicking that I didn't know the rules.

I won't go into details; suffice it to say we didn't win the cup, and I haven't really got an idea of what happened. I was glad that initial embarrassment was over. Now though Madden wanted know just who was my favourite team. Like I said, I only really know two teams and neither of their logo's where particularly cool. Selecting off logo alone I ended up at the bird one, my favorite team was now the Baltimore Ravens. Go Ravens! When the main menu loaded for the first time I headed straight over to the practice drills to actually learn what I was doing. Also maybe I'd learn what scrimmage was.

For my first lesson I was going to learn how to pass, seems like a natural starting point. First up a lob pass. Tap the button to pass to the relevant player, no problems. Next the bullet pass, hold the button to pass to the relevant player, easy. My gaming side find this laughable, the sports side couldn't really figure out the difference between passes. I was getting gold medals though after a couple of attempts, so I didn't care. At one point I lobbed the ball down field, the pass connected and the player ran straight in for a touch down. I instinctively fist pumped, I was already getting into Madden more than I'd anticipated. I had passing was in the bag, next up was attacking.

Now I was actually attacking defensive lines. Learning how to control and use the acceleration burst feature to make a touch down. It strangely rewarding and more visceral than I'd imagined. In the UK we have a tendency to scoff at the idea American football. We mock their armour saying "rugby players don't need that, Americans are soft". But I was beginning to understand, if they went on without the gear with the frequency and ferocity of which the teams clash, well some one would be hospitalized every game. Moving on to defense my new found respect was further cemented, I was tackling rivals with ruthless intent. Hours of practice passed by and I was starting to find a strange fondness for the NFL. Learning tactics and field positions was, and still is, beyond my mental limit. But I enjoyed the tactics and urgency of the game.

Playing Madden really surprised me. I was quite taken by the sport of American Football, that in itself is just really unusual. There's an intense level of tactics and a suffocating urgency to make decisions that makes games really enjoyable compared to the comparatively leisurely pace of football. I've went on long enough, you've seem my impressions of the sport change. You've heard me struggle to get to grips. Next time I'll be talking about my first ever tournament and playing real games. Oh and how I know what scrimmage is now.

In the meantime if your from Europe or the UK and want to play some games, or I've inspired you to maybe give Madden a go then leave a comment here. We could arrange a clueless championship. May the team with the coolest logo win.

(Hi originally posted this on my own site, but thought some of you here might enjoy discussing - see you in the comments!)

2014 was to be the year of the next generation. After eight years the longest console generation ever came to a close in 2013, and the next generation began. Sony released their Playstation 4, and Microsoft their Xbox One. A market hungry for new consoles snapped up the latest systems faster than ever before. Sales went through the roof dispelling growing fears console gaming was dying. Even now PS4 sales outpace the Wii. New consoles in hand the community anxiously waited for 2014 when the next generation would truly start. But things didn't go as planned. Instead of a seamless online social experience we had online functionality that failed to work on some the years biggest releases - even Halo: Master Chief Collection succumbed to issues. Instead of awesome new experiences we had a holiday season full of games that simply didn't work. And what released was only half what we expected after many of the most anticipated names like Arkham Knight and The Order 1886 were delayed to 2015.

It was to this backdrop of disappointment that one company flourished, completely unexpectedly - Nintendo. Since the release of it's latest iteration of home console hardware, Wii U, Nintendo had been almost unfairly discounted from the console race. Uninterested in matching it's peers in hardware power or online capabilities Nintendo had retreated to the basement embracing their role of eccentric toy-maker, a kooky third wheel in the console race. It was a tactic that had once worked well for them. Last time they energetically burst through the basement door and excitedly slammed down their latest creation on top of the families breakfast they were met with wonder. The Wii was a revelation, it put Nintendo on the map in the mind of demographics rarely interest in gaming: Older folk, middle aged women and to a certain extent girls in general. They expanded the market beyond what anyone was used to, they had revolutionised the console space.

In 2012 however, when the Wii U was thrust onto the families breakfast they slowly raised their collective heads unimpressed. What was this device that looked so familiar, but now had an archaic looking tablet attached to it? The market who Nintendo introduced to gaming had left them, moved on to phones and tablets; they no longer cared for the absent toy-maker fiddling away in the basement. With Wii U sales scarcely worth mentioning; dwarfed by the sales of Playstation and Xbox, Nintendo's home console looked pushed into irrelevance. Third parties wouldn't touch it, its' last generation hardware made it unappealing to just about anyone and every casual observer thought it was just a Wii add on. Wii U looked doomed. Then 2014 through hard-work, and appealing to fans, Nintendo changed their stars.

Whenever new consoles launch they almost always experience content drought. PS4 and Xbox One experienced this during 2014, thanks to a considerable amount of AAA holiday games being pushed back to early 2015. Wii U itself was no stranger to content drought, for the first year of its life the volume of offerings was embarrassing. So when the new generation was finding it's feet Nintendo was preparing a battle plan, a master strategy to fight into relevance in the last window they had before PS4 and Xbox One hit their stride. 2014 was the first year Nintendo really brought content to the Wii U, hard. Nintendo got behind their failing home console; committed to providing consumers with as many reasons to buy a Wii U as humanly possible. Their efforts have paid dividends, the Wii U's library is now more vibrant than ever but this was an uphill battle; one that started way back in January.

Nintendo started the year on a solid, if quiet note. Wii Fit made the jump to Wii U in January bringing the popular fitness franchise to the next generation was sure to grab the attention of casual fans. Seemingly though Wii Fit U failed to recapture its audience. The final piece of evidence casual fans were gone? Come February Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze arrived on the system marking the first big AAA game for Wii U in 2014. Received positively across the board Tropical Freeze helped capitalise on the interest in Wii U following Super Mario 3D World's release into critical admiration during Holiday 2013. March saw nothing of note come to Wii U. In this time Sony and Microsoft both fired their big guns. Infamous Second Son came to PS4 and Titanfall to Xbox One. Both performed well, but were viewed by their community as disappointments, they had a lot hype to live up too and didn't fully deliver. As early next generation titles rarely do. Nintendo got lucky, their quiet start wasn't written off as it might well have been

Moving in to April-June the big games for Xbox One and PS4 were Watch_Dogs and Wolfenstien. Watch_Dogs was poised for nearly two years before its release as the definitive next generation game; the reason consumers needed a new box. With such high expectations it's not surprising the game failed to live up. By no stretch a bad game Watch_Dogs was very good, but not the Masterpiece we expected. An earlier announced delay of the game for Wii U now didn't seem to matter, Nintendo wasn't missing out on the best game of the year. Wolfenstein too was good, but came and went with little fanfare. PS4 scored Transistor from Super Massive Games on the indie front, but it failed to reach the levels of success that progenitor Bastion had years ago.

With the next generation line-up being good, but unable to meet unrealistically high expectation Nintendo had a chance to seize some respect. And they did just that. Starting April with NES Remix 2 Nintendo began attracting more interest from fans of retro gamers. But that was not the reason for their success - it was Mario Kart 8. With the last instalment selling over 35 million copies on Wii MK8 was set to blow up the install base of Wii U up by millions. Which it didn't. Wii U sales rose, but not by millions. Mario Kart 8 did sell millions of copies to those who had already adopted Wii U's and became one of the tent pole releases of the year. We even named it Game of The Year 2014. MK8 was a fantastic game, and since everyone had been focusing on their new systems that came as a surprise. People began to pay attention - Nintendo had the best game of the year so far.

Then in Summer, from June - August Nintendo went silent. Nearly nothing was released on Wii U. During this time PS4 and Xbox One continued steadily expanding their libraries. Last generation games made their way across as HD ports at a maddening rate: The Last of Us Remastered, Diablo III Ultimate Edition and Minecraft all made the jump to next generation. A few new games that didn't receive massive critical success released too including: Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare, Valiant Hearts and Transformers all came out. They weren't mind blowing releases, but Sony and Microsoft were releasing more than Nintendo. One game alone saved Nintendo's summer: Shovel Knight. The love letter to retro gaming staggered many, for some it was game of the year. Now Nintendo had managed to produce two GoTY quality games for their platform, and the battle for the year was just beginning.

In September the story really begins, so to avoid text overload you can check out part two here - once it's ready.

Reflection is good. It's nice to look back on was has been and, remember the great achievements of times gone past. I'd like to think that's why Game of the Year awards are so popular, not just so we can screech at each other about supposedly wrong opinions - something that's sadly all to common in the world of video games. We've admittedly left our Top Ten Games of 2013 list a little later than most but, we did so that we might better experience all of last years big titles, in the hopes we don't leave any great experiences unrepresented. 2013 was a fantastic year that saw some truly staggering games hit as the last generation systems gave way to the next. A natural conclusion The Last of Us is our top game of 2013.

The Last of Us - Playstation 3

Thinking back over the last year there were so many great games released, picking out just the ten greatest has been genuinely difficult. Yet selecting the top spot was done with ease, it was impossible to choose any title for the highest honour other than The Last of Us. With the incredible success that Naughty Dog captures the emotional highs and lows of Joel and Ellie's post apocalyptic journey, it would feel wrong to pick any other game. The tenacious duo's grim story follows them over a year of their lives through a touching, tragic and often horrific trek across the shattered remains of a US ravaged by a viscous fungal infection which effectively zombifies it's human hosts. Amongst the back drop, a world inhabited by monsters and humans that kill indiscriminately, Naughty Dog tells what may be the best story ever in video games; I'm deadly serious.

Naughty Dog expertly builds a believable devastated world, brimming with little touches that instil it with a sense of lost humanity - unique crayon pictures scribbled by children rest on individual work desks and, family portraits sit on mantles - the world feels truly abandoned. Scattered throughout are notes; diary entries written both before and after the pandemic, those penned before show the triviality of life in comparison to the tragic present. Fourteen year old heroine Ellie remarks that she can't imagine a time where girls worry about what to wear and, if a boy likes them. Those scribed during the pandemic tell engrossing stories in their own right regarding the trials the survivors have went through - some are truly touching.

Even with their own unique charms none of scrawled notes carry the same emotional weight as the story of the protagonist tag team. I'd barely switched the game on before I was given the first emotional kick in the gut - from that moment on The Last of Us's emotional hooks were in and, they wouldn't let go right up until it's unbelievable finale. The relationship between Joel and Ellie is fascinating, and ultimately believable as fate throws them together.Younger Ellie constantly attempts to win over the cold middle aged Joel who is initially uninterested in the teenager, escorting her across country out of necessity rather than want. Quickly their relationship evolves into almost a father daughter one, as Joel teaches the naive Ellie about the world before its collapse. Talented voice actors Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson bring life and energy to the pair.

Unlike it's action packet colourful sibling the Uncharted series The Last of Us is grey, downtrodden and, flits between action-adventure to survival horror in a blink. This is thanks to the two distinct groups players are pitted against, the intelligent team working human survivors and, the creepy zombie-like infected. Humans are fought like a regular action game, their team work helps them encircle Joel and, they're best dealt tactically - though using melee is advantageous as to conserve ammunition. In this world though even melee weapons degrade, nothing is really safe. Infected on the other hand are far more sinister. The lighter runners throw themselves violently against Joel, whilst the spooky clickers are blinded by there infliction navigating using mere sound alone. Sneaking and, careful dispatchment in the dark corners they're encountered in is necessary - they're powerful, capable of killing Joel in one terrifying gory strike.

Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic survivor/action game controls like a dream. It's simple crafting system keeps players on their toes and, multiplayer matches the tone of the single player experience masterfully. It's enemies are spooky, yet humans are dangerous reminding us who the real monsters are. But none of that matters. At it's core The Last of Us has heart - something few games do. It makes you care about characters in a way that very few stories can, it pulls the heart strings in its best moments and, truly is one of the best video game tales ever crafted. If you could only play one game last year, this should have been it.

Reflection is good. It's nice to look back on was has been and, remember the great achievements of times gone past. I'd like to think that's why Game of the Year awards are so popular, not just so we can screech at each other about supposedly wrong opinions - something that's sadly all to common in the world of video games. We've admittedly left our Top Ten Games of 2013 list a little later than most but, we did so that we might better experience all of last years big titles, in the hopes we don't leave any great experiences unrepresented. 2013 was a fantastic year that saw some truly staggering games hit as the last generation systems gave way to the next. Grand Theft Auto steals position #2.

Grand Theft Auto IV - Playstation 3, Xbox 360

Was there any doubt Grand Theft Auto V would be on this list? Rockstar's first numbered entry in five years in the open world crime drama series exceeded all expectations earlier this year when it became the fastest selling entertainment property ever. It's rare that a game with such an immense amount of anticipation behind it meets all expectations and, Grand Theft Auto V is no exception to the rule. But some people are never happy, the fact it lived up to most peoples incredibly high expectations is an achievement in itself. Go in level headed and you'll be rewarded with a huge open map, diverse amount of things to do and, a surprisingly good online experience. It's story and, characters are better than any previous entry, but that's not important Grand Theft Auto V just understands it's all about having fun.

Players can expect the same attributes they'd normally expect but, each is better than they've ever been. The map is larger and more diverse than ever encompassing bustling streets, scorching deserts, towering mountains, claustrophobic forests, deep underwater sections and, all of the skies above it. The size and range of environment on offer is nothing short of amazing - it may well be the best sand box ever built. I could easily spend hours just driving around the city of Los Santos listening to citizens who almost never repeat dialogue and, that city is only one quarter of the whole map. It's a testament to what can be done when a talented developer is given heaps of cash and, the time to create what they want.

Utilizing a new idea Grand Theft Auto V has players take the role of three disparate protagonists rather than being stuck playing as one lovable psycho - each of them can be changed between on the fly. Each brings their unique perspective to the grim twisted vision of modern day America that Rockstar expertly paints. Franklin is a gangster who loathes the life style, he wants to make something of himself rather than pulling of petty crimes with other hapless gang members. Michael is retired con-man whose anger problems and, useless parenting skills make him a joke in his own family. Finally there's Trevor, Michaels old running mate and, an absolute monster - unhinged and, dangerous Trevor is the perfect representation of what a GTA protagonist might be like in real life. Somehow each are incredibly likeable, even if Trevor's actions occasionally churn the stomach.

Together the team plan a series of increasingly dangerous heists for their own separate reasons. These heists are Grand Theft Auto V's undoubted high points. They introduce choice and freedom not regularly associated with the long running series. Players can choose how to approach, for example, a bank robbery. Whose going to be your getaway driver, what vehicles will they use, break in through the front or sneak in the back? The choices are varied, it's just sad there aren't too many heists actually in game. Even so normal missions are more refined that the normal GTA fluff. Sure they still play second fiddle to mucking about but, at least this time there genuinely enjoyable - combined with more likeable characters the story mode is easily the series high point.

Truth is, most of you have already played Grand Theft Auto V. I'm hopeful that most of you would agree it's a marvellous game. Rockstar provides a typically fantastic single player experience but, the best bit of Grand Theft Auto V is the same as it's older brothers. Grand Theft Auto is still king of the sand box, there's so much to do, see and enjoy. You could wander around the expanse for hundreds of hours and not see it all. Add in that driving mechanics are glorious, shooting is more refined than any other and, the amount of vehicles on offer borders on insane then you've got a game that'll keep you busy forever. Grand Theft Auto V surprisingly lives up to the hype.

Reflection is good. It's nice to look back on was has been and, remember the great achievements of times gone past. I'd like to think that's why Game of the Year awards are so popular, not just so we can screech at each other about supposedly wrong opinions - something that's sadly all to common in the world of video games. We've admittedly left our Top Ten Games of 2013 list a little later than most but, we did so that we might better experience all of last years big titles, in the hopes we don't leave any great experiences unrepresented. 2013 was a fantastic year that saw some truly staggering games hit as the last generation systems gave way to the next. Persona 4: The Golden takes the bronze at number 3.

Persona 4: The Golden - Vita

You're probably surprised by this entry. Allow me to quickly explain that although Persona 4: The Golden was released in North America during 2012 it didn't actually arrive Europe until February 2013; since I'm English, I'm going to allow it. ATLUS's Vita title may appear to be a straight port of the already incredible 2008 Playstation 2 JRPG but, it's much more than that. Boasting improved visuals, a whole extra character with their own story arc, a brand new dungeon, a dungeon helper feature, the ability to see what other players did in certain situations and, an extra few hours of brand new voice acted content after the original games ending, The Golden is far more than a simple port. The result is easily one of the best JRPG I've ever played.

Players assume the role of a teenage boy who is moving to the small countryside town of Inaba to live with his overworked Uncle Ryotaro Dojima and, neglected cousin Nanako for a year whilst his parents are away on business. The idea turns out to be a masterstroke as the protagonist is introduced to the town, and cast members, at exactly the same time as the player - there's no presumed knowledge. Before long a body turns up in the idyllic settlement put on display in very peculiar manner. At the same a time a supernatural rumor begins to circle school about the midnight channel - a mysterious image that appears on television screens in Inaba at midnight but, only when it's foggy apparently displaying the watchers true love.

When more people go missing the gang discovers they're able to actually enter the TV like a portal leading them to another world inhabited by ghastly monsters called Shadows. It quickly becomes apparent they're the only ones who know about it and, deciding the murders are linked to the other world they conclude they're the only ones who can solve the crime.

Time plays a crucial role in Persona 4, because players are only visiting for a year they must solve the case before they're set to return home. As such Persona 4 splits itself into days, time management is fundamental to success, players can only do so much in one day, therefore must their time wisely. Should I spend time studying, maybe go grind in the shadow world, help out some friends to increase social links or, just prepare lunch for the next day. It's an intriguing take on the genre that effectively combines it's traditional JRPG combat sensibilities with a sort of life simulator and, it works exceedingly well. The amount of time I neglected to go fight monsters to go gardening is ludicrous.

Combat is simple yet challenging, a host of difficulty levels means there's a sweet spot for everyone. Fighting using their persona each of the cast has a fixed set of skills, with the exception of the lead who can change between them at will making him as versatile as any player wishes. They're hundreds of Persona collect, a generous amount of weapons, wacky costumes to wear (my whole gang wore secret service like suits) and a good selection of dungeons to crawl through. I could go on about how Persona 4 is mechanically great but, it's real strength lies in it's characters.

Yes, the story is silly. Typically Japanese. They're flourishes that will make you cringe; sections you really wish weren't there. But none of that matters. Persona 4 is at it's heart a coming of age tale, the importance of accepting who we are and, examining the "persona" that we use to shield ourselves from others. It's a story that could fall flat under it's weight, but doesn't. Each cast member has their own unique problems, there own demons and I was intrigued by everyone. They're so phenomenally written, localised and voice acted that there pain is palpable, I wanted to help all of them overcome their issues - it genuinely made choosing who to hang out with my limited time exceedingly difficult. There's not an unlikely one amongst them. Even the frankly ridiculous stuffed bear Teddie is emphatical, and that's a triumph of great writing. It's down all downers either, they're genuine laughs generously sprinkled throughout - the observations of teenage life are so spot on its scary.

Persona 4: The Golden might be a port of a 2008 PS2 game, but it's story and characters compete with some of the best experience on offer today - I found the team as a whole comparable to the quality of the Mass Effect series; thats saying something. It's unique life simulator adds a refreshing element that helps break up the typical JRPG combat. Simply put - I cannot recommend Persona 4: The Golden enough.